Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years for sexually abusing two children.
The 49-year-old was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday (29 September) after being convicted last month of two charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards a girl and a boy who were both of primary school age.
The offences took place during two separate periods, with the girl abused between 1993 and 1996 and the boy between 2006 and 2010.
Lord Harrower told Dott his offending represented a gross violation of trust and said his behaviour displayed characteristics associated with grooming. The judge said the abuse had deprived his victims of significant parts of their childhoods.
Dott, who won the World Snooker Championship at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre in 2006, had denied sexually abusing either child.
A five-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow heard evidence from both victims, who are now adults.
The woman, now in her 40s, told the court she had been sexually abused by Dott on a number of occasions when she was a child. Jurors heard that he exposed himself to her and touched her inappropriately.
The second victim, a man now in his late 20s, described being sexually abused on multiple occasions between 2006 and 2010. He told the trial that because of his age he initially did not understand what was happening and only later realised the behaviour was wrong.
Prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel told jurors during the trial that the Crown’s case was that Dott had targeted vulnerable children when opportunities arose for his own sexual gratification.
The jury returned majority guilty verdicts on both charges on 24 August.
Lord Harrower remanded Dott in custody following his conviction while a criminal justice social work report was prepared ahead of sentencing.
Dott is also subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.
Detective Inspector Gary Smillie, of Police Scotland, described Dott as a “dangerous individual” following his conviction.
He said: “His conviction is as a direct result of their strength in coming forward and providing information which assisted our enquiries.”
Police Scotland said it would continue to investigate allegations of abuse regardless of how much time had passed.
Dott was suspended from all professional snooker activity by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association in April 2025 after the criminal charges were announced.
Following his conviction, the WPBSA permanently revoked his membership, while World Snooker removed him from its Hall of Fame.
Dott turned professional in 1994 and reached three World Championship finals during his career.
The seven-year prison term was imposed at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, just over a month after the guilty verdicts were returned in Glasgow.